Mumbai, India | June 15 – Ronnie Screwvala has backed enough founders to know when the rules of building a startup have changed. According to him, a new wave is taking over today.
Screwvala’s recent venture with co-founders Nikhil Kamath and Kishore Biyani, The Foundery, is India’s first entrepreneurial movement where successful entrepreneurs are taking a hands-on-role in building the next generation of business rather than simply writing off cheques. They are helping spot entrepreneurial talent early, providing the infrastructure to operate, mentoring teams through the hard parts, and co-creating companies from the ground up.
In a recent conversation, he puts it down plainly. “If you’re already in a problem, you’re going sideways,” Screwvala said. “That’s not how fast the world is moving because of AI, that’s just how fast they’re moving because that’s the speed at which execution needs to take place.” Three to five years ago, he was looking for ‘problem solvers’. Today, his search horizon has expanded to seek ‘problem spotters’.
The founders who will matter in the upcoming years are the ones who identify where things are breaking before a crisis sets in. By the time you’re reacting, you’re already behind. Another point Screwvala vehemently comments on is staying in the game long enough for it to matter.
“Real companies can only be built if you have a view of outlasting,” he said. “If you’re not in it for the long run, if you’re constantly looking for the word exit, if you have a plan B, it’ll be transient.” In an ecosystem built on glorifying quick flips and quick exits, he makes a poignant statement. Large, meaningful companies are not built by people who are half-in, rather by those who deep-down know there is no other option.
This is the philosophy that lies at the core of The Foundery. It is not just a platform to fund founders but an attempt to develop a persevering founder who is committed enough to stick around and build something that actually lasts. The Foundery brings together talent discovery, company creation, capital and hands-on execution support all under one roof, with the firm idea to nurture great founders.
The Foundery’s first cohort of 34 entrepreneurs is currently in the middle of building 20 startups across categories ranging from beauty and wellness to consumer technology, food and beverages, fashion and pet care. Foundery FWD is scheduled in Mumbai on 9th July, 2026.
